Bok props relishing scrum battle against old mates

There will be plenty of familiarity in the front row as the Springboks take on Scotland in a battle that could almost be called a local derby on Saturday at Loftus Versfeld.

On the one side, the Boks have Boan Venter, who until recently was a fixture at Edinburgh and destined to play for Scotland before he got the call from Rassie Erasmus, and Wilco Louw, the behemoth who has demolished teams in the United Rugby Championship all season.

And on the other is a very familiar face - Venter’s former Edinburgh teammate Pierre Schoeman, a player who played his junior rugby in Pretoria and knows the Bok props incredibly well.

So while the scrum battle will always be a key part of the test between the two sides, there is an extra bit of familiarity this weekend.

Bok assistant coach Duane Vermeulen teed it up this week when he revealed that Venter is relishing the opportunity to go up against his former teammates. Venter played 95 times for Edinburgh and will join the Lions ahead of next season.

“We have a big scrumming day on Wednesday, and Boan is licking his lips — he has a lot to contribute,” Vermeulen smiled. “Boan knows quite a bit about their props, and they know quite a bit about him. The scrums should be a good battle.

“We have seen from the URC that the Scottish packs stay in the fight. Obviously, we want to take them on physically, but they’re well coached, and they know exactly what they want to achieve.”

It was taken forward by Wilco Louw, who will pack down against his old mate Schoeman, who earned his 50th cap against Argentina a week ago.

“There’s normally not a lot of talking going on,” Louw smiled. “It’s a bit dark in there. It’s always nice to scrum against Pierre. He’s a good friend and an incredible rugby player. Hopefully there can be a bit of chat afterwards, but during the game it’s a big moment and a big occasion.

“Loftus is a fortress for the Bulls and for South Africa. I have a soft spot for the Bulls; they looked after me really well when I came here after school, and recently when I returned from England. Especially when my family needed me during a crucial part of the season. It is a special place to play.”

“It’s about what we want to achieve on Saturday, whether at scrum time, high balls or whatever facet of the game. We will focus on ourselves. But it’s been good to play them in Scotland and at Loftus, where we’ve had results for and against us.

Louw added that he also knew that former French international and former Springbok scrum coach Pieter de Villiers would have a profound influence on the Scottish scrum.

“I’ve been impressed by their scrum,” Louw added.

“I worked with their scrum coach Pieter de Villiers, and he is a proper coach, and they have some proper boys in the front row and their pack. If you look at them, they are physical, and a lot of their tries against Argentina came from their physicality up front.

“They are a good pack to scrum against; they have a few British and Irish Lions, including Pierre. It is going to be a proper challenge, and we are prepared for that.”

Against England the Boks got their first scrum put in only in the 50th minute. They will be looking for more chances to test their setpiece at Loftus, and if they do, the battle will be a key one to watch.